Determining the Gut Microbiota-dependent Impacts of Anthocyanin-rich Aronia Berries on Obese Individuals of Distinct Inflammatory Phenotypes

Overall goal of this project is to determine the inflammation lowering impact of anthocyanin-rich Aronia melanocarpa berries. Inflammation is an underlying mechanism driving the development of several diseases. Microorganisms (microbiome), host tissues, and immune cells residing in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) are a key source of pro-inflammatory signals that may cause the host organism to become inflamed. Anthocyanins are bioactive compounds with established anti-inflammatory and microbiome altering properties. We hypothesize that the GIT microbiome is a key determinant of host inflammation that can be manipulated by anthocyanin-rich berries to lower inflammation. We assembled a cohort of low inflammation and high inflammation individuals and characterize their GIT microbiome and performed anthropometric measurements, basal measures of metabolism and metabolic health, and examined lipid, metabolomic, and inflammation responses to a high-fat meal challenge. Following this clinical trial, germ-free mice will be humanized with fecal microbial transplants from humans with distinct inflammation phenotypes to determine the impact of Aronia supplementation on the gut microbiome, metabolism, and inflammation.

本项目的总体目标为明确富含花青素的黑果腺肋花楸（Aronia melanocarpa）浆果的抗炎效果。炎症是驱动多种疾病发生发展的潜在核心机制。寄居在胃肠道（gastrointestinal tract, GIT）内的微生物（微生物组，microbiome）、宿主组织与免疫细胞，是促炎信号的主要来源，可诱导宿主产生炎症反应。花青素是一类已被证实兼具抗炎与调节微生物组特性的生物活性物质。本研究提出假说：胃肠道微生物组是宿主炎症状态的关键决定因素，而富含花青素的浆果可通过调控该微生物组以减轻宿主炎症。我们招募了低炎症表型与高炎症表型的个体队列，对其胃肠道微生物组进行表征分析，同时开展人体测量学检测、基础代谢与代谢健康水平基线测定，并评估受试者在高脂膳食负荷试验后的脂质、代谢组学及炎症反应变化。本临床试验结束后，我们将采用来自不同炎症表型人类受试者的粪便微生物移植对无菌小鼠进行人源化处理，以此探究补充黑果腺肋花楸对肠道微生物组、代谢水平及炎症状态的影响。